Disclaimer :
The photo attachment content is not meant to upset anyone or make anyone uncomfortable . The tools have been used by myself for the better part of 30 years mostly . I got them all used , they don’t know theres better out there .
The many boards that have been worked by the tools did not realize these were such affordable tools . My clients with smiling faces cared not about these affordable tools .
regards dusty
Replies
Hey Dusty,
Good ol' planes, look like they've seen a lot of action. Do you also use power tools, and if so, what kinds?
-Andy
Andy ,
Yes , I do use power tools ,,, primarily . I run a custom production shop . Machines are used for most every aspect of my work .While I apprenticed hand tools were all I was allowed to use . As far as the types of power tools I use , ts , ras , shapers , thickness planer , drill motors, scms , chop saw , routers , a variety of hand held sanders , a profile / edge sander I've even been known to use nail guns now and then .
regards dusty
dusty,
"While I apprenticed hand tools were all I was allowed to use." I've got some more specific questions for you.So would you say that when you began working with all the machinery, you used the hand tools less? Or just as much? Do you use hand tools and then go to power when there is a difficulty, or do you use power tools by default and then use handtools for some processes? Any specific processes that you consider better to do with these handtools? Do you think that the power tools are necessary for someone who is building traditional furniture part-time and doesn't depend on the income from it?-Andy
Hi Andy ,
The shop I apprenticed at did mostly restoration , repair and refinishing and re-caning of antiques . It was hand tools for the most of what we did .I learned to reproduce almost any part that was ever made .Occasionally we made a reproduction piece by request .
When I started out on my own I quickly figured that I could not make a living on repair and re - cane only , so I began building furniture and cabinets , that's when I realized I needed more power tools and machines .
I honestly do not get to use hand tools very much in my production , I probably use a chisel more then any other hand tool .
I do not think power tools are necessary to build traditional pieces while not depending on living on your income from the fabrication of the pieces. What you are considering traditional may be different then the next person , what style do you plan on building .
dusty
Thanks Dusty, I think that what you wrote provides more context for your initial post.
-Andy
for a second there i thought maybe this would turn into a photo essay of who has the most, cleanist, dirtiest, bigest smallest, oldest, newest, planes of anyone. then i realized there were only two sets of pics posted, oh well.
i think i might have the same bailey. i either found it or got it at a tag sale. i know it hasn't seen any use by me. what number is that?
Old,
"If by chance some day I am blessed enough to own a Marcou plane , honestly I would keep it locked up in a display case and most likely would never risk damage by actually using it ".
To paraphrase the famous words of His Excellency The Marcou hisself, "Ay yi yi, boy - that is not the idea at all"!
At the risk of being labelled "snot of the week" I will now wax lyrical concerning the Marcou S15A I was wise enough to purchase before the bugger started with the price rises. It is a pleasure to use in every way that you can imagine - weighty and beautiful; most importantly, superbe in funtion.
It is probably wasted on a peasant-amateur like me; but at least it is used as intended. Already it has scratches and marks, despite my care. It would be a shame, though, to put The Object into a glass case, like a deed mummy in a museum. Would you do that with your good quality TS or bandsaw that cost 2 or 3 times as much? Why no, man.
In the end, the S15A is also an inspiration as it whispers, "You better make some good stuff to justify buying me, mate". Yes indeed. I do not want to be that lycra-clad cyclist with a carbon fibre bike and titanium groupset who can only manage 17.84 mph even on a good day.
Lataxe
Hiya Lataxe ,
Easy Lad ,,, me thinks you got your knickers in a wad , be still and listen up , I'll do my best to splain my self .
First off the Marcou line of tools may very well be the most beautiful I have ever seen , for real . My shop machines and equipment were purchased a piece at a time over the last 25 years or so . The prices I paid were very low in most cases . Even though the value is more now on some , I probably never paid more than $750.00 for any one machine .
Also you must keep in mind for me this is not my hobby , lucky you , rather I must produce to support my family . Being a small one person shop I do more hand work then the average production shop may do , because I can and I care about the end result .
Maybe if I worked at a union shop my pension fund could pay for the Marcous
knee deep
ps : I liked the bit of the " deed mummy "
Edited 2/3/2007 5:33 pm ET by oldusty
How dare you post a picture of your team of blue collar tools in their working class dress!
What were you thinking? Don't you know that any of our tools that see that are going to want to hang around in their grubbies too! They may even want to be used to make stuff, producing thick shavings in the process to boot.
Now get out to the shop and put on your lab coat and surgical mask and flatten, square, shine and sharpen to half an atoms width of perfect. Don't come back until your done!
While your at it get those chisels fixed too! I can only imagine the atrocious condition they're in.
What is the trick for using the little rabbet plane? I have a Stanley and a Millers Falls, really the same thing when you compare them but I have big hands and have had a problem getting a good grip on it. I didn't think the iron was projecting too far but I haven't used it much yet. It's very sharp , so maybe the iron is out too far.
If you figure out how to get that small rabbet to work, let me know. I bought a Stanley, and I cant get it to work worth a flip. It is very, very sharp though.
At this point, mine is a paperweight. I think I'm going to try pressing down on it and hitting it from behind with a mallet. Just kidding, it's not a paperweight.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Hello highfigh ,
The rabbet plane needs a small bite set at a time , small tool small bite .
Maybe a bit of an angle on the iron ?
Is your iron upside down ? have you tried flipping it ?
dusty
I have the bevel down. I figured that it needs all the help it can get and being so small, being hard to move wouldn't be a particularly endearing quality. I wasn't trying to take much of a cut at all. I'll play with it some more when our local ice age ends. It's + 5 F and windy.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
oldusty,
I see three of 'em are putting on airs--they have their brass knobs sticking up in the air...
Regards,
Ray
Ray , those are the snob - knobbed planes .
There appears to be an imbalance in the management of the herd there- too many block planes compared to proper planes.Why? Furthermore most seem to be suffering from some sort of care deficiency resulting in rough handles etc:these would command poor prices at any sale.
After reading Geoff's stories about cats I know that a pill in time saves at least nine lives, infact have been applying this approach to the maintenance of my own herd for the last 35 years, as I beleive that some customers do look at the state of the Master's tools and draw certain conclusions-rightly or wrongly.
Richard the Rancorous has said that a lot of twaddle is talked about tools-so here is some more (;).
This my working herd- sorry, no Spiers, Norrits or Lie Nielsens apart from a couple of Veritas which appeared after this photo was taken.
There is a butler tray table I made , in between modifying, fiddling, fettling and polishing of planes- when the tools are good I am good and therefore the work is good....
Sorry-attachments have not come up-will post later. Philip Marcou
Edited 2/2/2007 9:33 pm by philip
Here are the attachments.Philip Marcou
Hi Philip ,
Mostly I have preserved these in the state they were obtained in .
Several others were not in the photo , I just grabbed what was at hand . The block and the low angle models are really the ones I use . I keep a few in my installation tool box and a few in the shop close by . The larger ones were woken from a deep sleep in a dark place , just for this photo .None are for sale , but they would fetch more than my original purchase price imo .
My thinking is that most all my potential clients look at my finished products not the tools that make them . When clients will take the time to actually go about and look at work as opposed to only looking at price my work speaks for itself .
I was surprised to see no Marcou models in the photos , did I miss them ?
Mook , your planes are truly a work of art , quite possibly the most beautiful tools I have ever seen with my own eyes . If by chance some day I am blessed enough to own a Marcou plane , honestly I would keep it locked up in a display case and most likely would never risk damage by actually using it .
regards dusty
Yes, all of those I can see in your pictures are "good stock", and would doubtless fetch more than their original price.
Thanks for the kind words on the breeding stock. In fact the pics you saw were taken before I got started on planemaking: anyway the new ones are in short supply so I can't over-expose them (;).There are some on my web site and Wiktor keeps updating regularly so they come and go.Philip Marcou
Dusty,
I don't get it...
There's no gunmetal, no kingwood, cocobolo or ebony, there's no 3/8-inch thick, optically flat steel plate, no damascus or mirror polished stainless steel, not a shred of ivory and I don't see a single hand-peined dovetail anywhere!
How on Earth could they possibly work?
;^)
David C.
Hi David ,
As I said they do not know that there are others better then them out there , neither does the wood seem to care .
There might be a bit of Rosewood there , a basic no frills approach is mine .
I know some makers who spend a lot of time making jigs and fixtures and replacing the laminate on their bench surfaces often , not my style , I spend a bit more time on my work instead .
dusty
DCarr,
I think the difference between these two professionals is quite obvious but only on the surface. Phillip gave us a hint by showing the butlers table....so he has a butler...hence the tools are clean and spread for the masters choice. Dusty on the other hand probably has to find his planes with his feet amongst the wood chips...
BG- you must take a medal.Philip Marcou
Hi BG ,
I have noticed from my own experience that a spotless clean room of a shop ,,,,, probably has not had much dust a flying as of late . Just an observation .
I am always careful to leave trails in the wood chips so I can find my way out after dark .
dusty
As grandmaster of the society of Pre-Recleys and Stanords, and an Abram-man of note, I beseech and implore thee , abjure thy daliance with shortlived modernity, forswear geegaws and trifles of fashion, and return to the lodge of tradition and righteousness from whence all were fashioned, even as the blessed Noah was so instructed to toil and build.
On the other hand.......
Hi mufti ,
What did you say ? sumthun about Gopher wood .
That's it I'm going right out and buy some .
Beautiful bunch of planes , do you actually use that collection ?
regards dusty
Thanks, yes I don't own any which are not used from time to time, and somehow they are easier to handle than modern versions. On the other hand I only play at woodworking.
Your cove planes- Ohio Tool Co? I have a pair of those, among others.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
I am afraid mine are, for me, home grown. The names of Griffiths of Norwich, The Highgate Tool Company and John Moseley & Son Bloomsbury, London appear on those planes.
Those who have not tried using such just do not realise how small is the learning curve to get results. I am lucky, for I rarely have to pay more than five pounds for good planes, and cosmetics aside, the opportunities are there.
There's no reason to feel bad about them- they look like fine tools. Ohio Tool Co is just a really common brand and if what I read is correct, used prison laborers to make some of them. I have seen a couple of the names on yours, though. Everyone here wants a lot for the woodies because they watch ebay. A lot of them are in the $15-$40 range, though.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 2/4/2007 12:09 pm by highfigh
Mufti,
That there be some nice olde wood, and a couple of nice pig-stickers adorning your shelf above the (dare I mutter that incantation?...) Festool storage boxes.....
.
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Tschüß!<!----><!---->
Mit freundlichen holzbearbeitungischen Grüßen aus <!----><!---->dem<!----> <!---->Land<!----> der <!----><!---->Rio Grande<!----><!---->!!<!----><!---->
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James<!----><!---->
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Semper Paratus!<!----><!---->
Pro Patria!
Thank you, and of course Festo have been sold here many years and were almost affordable in days of yore. The mortice chisels have been great in making garden and field gates on occasions and are just about self guiding.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
Edited 2/6/2007 2:37 am ET by mufti
Edited 2/6/2007 2:37 am ET by mufti
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